Macrame Cord Length Calculator

Macrame is a versatile and creative technique that makes it possible to create beautiful decorative and practical pieces. As a beginner, detailed turtorials are particularly suitable for getting a feel for the various knotting techniques. With practice comes the desire to realise your own projects. One of the most frequently asked questions is: How much cord do I need for my macrame project? How long should the individual strands of cord be? The answer to this question depends on various factors, which are explained below.

Use our Cord Length Calculator to work out how much cord length you need for your next macrame project

How do I calculate the required length of strands?

The calculation of the required strand length depends primarily on the length of the project and the type of knots used. Here is a general formula that serves as a starting point:

Length per cord = project length × knot density + additional length for fringes

The knot density is usually calculated as 4 and depends on the pattern you are using in your project. For more complex patterns, you will need more yarn as more knots and twists are required. If your pattern contains more complex knots, you can also calculate with a factor of 5 or 6.

Example: You want to knot a wall hanging that will be 60cm long in total. You want a pattern with many “holes”, e.g. by using the alternating square knot. At the end of the wall hanging, you want to leave 20cm long fringes hanging to round off the project. So simply calculate 60cm x 4 + 20cm = 260cm. Your individual strands should therefore be 260cm long.

Important: However, this is only a simplified formula. The cord calculator, which you can find below, also calculates the thickness of your cord in order to achieve an even more accurate result. Furthermore, this formula does not tell you how much cord you will need in total.

What else do I need to consider?

  1. More is better: It is always better to have a little more cord than too little. A small excess can be cut off, while too little cord can make the project unusable.
  2. Thickness of the cord: Thicker cords usually require more length than thinner cords for the same project as they have more volume.
  3. Type of pattern: If your pattern includes many knots such as the Double Half Hitch, you will need more cord than if you have a rather loose pattern with many “holes”.
  4. Strands folded in the middle: If the strands are folded in the middle (e.g. Lark’s Head Knot), the length required per strand is doubled, but the number of strands is reduced.
  5. Decorative elements: Elements such as fringes or beads can influence the length of yarn required.

How much macram cord do you need for your project?

Please note that this is only general information and that the actual amount required depends on various factors.

The calculator calculates rather generously, e.g. I always need less cord than calculated. Basically, however, it’s better to have too much cord and use the leftovers to knit something else than to realise in the middle of the project that you don’t have enough.

Optional details

Results:

How does the cord length calculator work?

To make the calculations behind the cord length calculator a little clearer, let’s go through it using an example. Let’s stick with the 60 cm long wall hanging with simple knots and 20 cm fringes. You want to use 4mm cord for the project:

  1. Project length (L): 60 cm
  2. Knot density (K): 4 (for simple knots)
  3. Additional length for fringes (F): 20 cm
  4. Cord thickness factor (G): 1 (for medium cord 3-4mm)

We want to determine three values from this: the length of the individual strands, the number of strands and the total amount of cord required.

Length of the individual strands

Total length per strand (T):

T = ((60cm x 4) + 20cm) x 1 = (240cm + 20cm) = 260cm

If the strand is folded in the middle:

T = 260cm × 2 = 520cm

How many strands do I need for my macrame project?

The cord calculator not only calculates the length of the strands, but can also estimate how many strands you need. This can then be used to calculate the total amount of cord required. You should still not cut all the strands before you start, as this is only an estimate and it would be a shame if you cut too many strands unnecessarily.

The number of strands is now also determined by the project width and any spacing between the strands, e.g. if you want to introduce the hole pattern right from the start. By default, this distance is set to 0cm and if you are unsure, leave it as it is. The worst thing that can happen is that the number of strands is estimated too high, but this is always better than too few. We set the project width to 50cm.

  1. Project width (B): 50 cm
  2. Cord thickness (G): 4 mm, as the strands do not lie close together, 1.5 times the cord thickness is used as standard
  3. Optional distance between the strands (A): 0 cm

Number of strands (A):

A = 50cm / ((1,5 x 0,4cm) +0cm) = 50 / 0,6 = 83,33

As fractions of strands are not possible, round up to 84 strands required.

If the strands are folded in the middle:

A = 1/2 x 84 = 42

How much macrame cord do I need in total?

We assume that the strands are folded in the middle, so the calculation is as follows:

Total length of cord = length per strand x number of strands = 520cm x 42 = 21840cm = 218.40m